By the end of This Is Us's series finale, the main characters are almost completely different people than they were when the show premiered. The pilot episode is often hailed as a strong example of setting up a series, but not everyone's introductory line does a great job of giving viewers a sense of who the characters are in a broader sense.
But even when some first lines aren't the greatest, the dichotomy between most main characters' first and last lines does an incredible job of showing how the many members of the extended Pearson family have changed for the better. There is no Pearson who doesn't end in a better place than they started, whether in this life or the next.
Nicky Pearson
First: Somebody Does.
Last: All Right, Go Easy On Me. Help Me Out Here.
When the adult version of Nicky Pearson is introduced, he is a recluse. He is abrasive and uncomfortable when the Big Three arrive in search of answers, snapping that "somebody does" live in his trailer as they try to enter it.
Over the following three seasons, Nicky undergoes some of the series' best character development. He becomes a quasi-grandfather and finds love with his wife, Edie. In his final moments, he is playing pin the tail on the donkey with the youngest Pearsons, playfully reminding them to "go easy on [him.]"
Miguel Rivas
First: I Love That Show.
Last: I Still Can't Get Over It. After All Of These Years, It's Still You: My Favorite Person.
Miguel is first introduced as Jack's best friend, discussing television shows and marital woes over drinks. He repeatedly stresses that Jack has married out of his league with Rebecca, something that irked viewers upon the reveal that Miguel and Rebecca were later married.
Over time, it becomes clear that Miguel is a man who loves the Pearsons more than anything, and loves Rebecca most of all. When he appears in Rebecca's afterlife in "The Train," he is given a much more fitting final line: "I still can't get over it. After all of these years, it's still you: my favorite person."
William Hill
First: Yeah, Yeah, Stop All That Banging. I Heard You The First Time, Banging On The Door. Who The Hell Is...
Last: Okay. Memphis?
William is introduced via an interaction totally against type for his character. Randall appears on his doorstep and aggressively bangs on his front door to get his attention, which leads William to grouchily wander down the stairs and yell for the person at the door to "stop all that banging."
But William is actually a very sensitive soul who has lived a life of pain. He finds the family he has always wanted and spends his last months living, for the first time, as a father and grandfather. His final moments in the series are a flashback to season 1's memorable "Memphis" episode, where he and Randall take a road trip to his hometown of Memphis, where he eventually passes away.
Toby Damon
First: I'm Sorry. I Was Just Picturing The Stapler, Which Is Totally Inappropriate. I Apologize.
Last: That Was A Back To The Future Reference. ... Yes, You Were.
Toby took a long time to grow on people, as he was often too outspoken for his own good. He relied on humor as a coping mechanism in all areas of his life, even inappropriate ones, such as his first introduction mocking fellow members of his and Kate's weight loss support group.
Toby becomes more emotionally present while still maintaining his corny sense of humor to the very end. In his last appearance, Toby perfectly shows this growth, engaging in an emotional conversation with Kate while also making "a Back to the Future reference" to discuss their failed marriage.
Beth Pearson
First: How's She Doing?
Last: Have You Made A Decision About Deep-Fried Oreos?
Beth's first and last lines don't do her incredible journey justice. In her first scene, Beth and Randall are attending their daughters' soccer game and taking turns supervising. From the beginning, she serves as Randall's support system and sounding board as he describes his discovery of William.
Beth is given her own storylines concerning her dance career. But the series always focuses intensely on the strength of her marriage with Randall and her role as his better half, all the way through her final scene as she inquires whether he has "made a decision about deep-fried Oreos," referring to his potential run for presidency.
Kate Pearson
First: You Suck.
Last: I Know. We Saw.
Kate's introduction finds her angrily rifling through her refrigerator and telling herself "you suck" as she stares at one food-shaming post-it note after another. Many of her early storylines are limited to her weight issues and how they affect every aspect of her life.
Kate finds love twice, becomes a mother, and reconciles her fractured relationships with her family. It's this last point that comes into play in her final line in the series, when she tells Randall that she saw Rebecca squeeze his hand before she passed on, serving as one last tribute to Kate's relationship with her mother.
Kevin Pearson
First: Huh? No. But, Um, You Go Ahead.
Last: People Don't Like Their Presidents All Weepy And Stuff. You Gotta Button That Up.
Kevin has the most superficial introduction. He sits in a hotel room on the morning of his 36th birthday, surrounded by two scantily clad dancing girls. But Kevin is clueless, consumed by his self-absorbed thoughts about where his life went wrong as he laments his dissatisfaction with his acting career and his wealth.
Kevin eventually finds the right path he needs to be on, embarking on a journey of sobriety, building a home for Rebecca, and reconciling with his lost love Sophie. Kevin is the man Jack and Rebecca always knew he could be - but even that won't stop him from using his final line to make fun of Randall the way he always has.
Randall Pearson
First: Yeah. What's Up?
Last: She Grabbed My Hand, Hard, Right At The Very End. You Know, Right Before... I Wonder What That Was.
Randall is introduced as a corporate type sitting in his office when his coworkers arrive to serenade him with a birthday cake. But Randall's mind is already elsewhere from the very beginning, as he has just learned that an investigator has found his biological father, William.
Randall finally finds his place in the world through service in politics. By the series' end, Randall, now a Senator, is considering a run for the presidency. But even his final moments revolve around his family as he wonders what it meant when Rebecca "grabbed [his] hand, hard, right at the very end."
Jack Pearson
First: [naked under the terrible towel] Okay. I'm Ready.
Last: I Love You.
Jack Pearson's first scene finds him waiting for his very pregnant wife Rebecca to take part in his birthday ritual. His deep love for Rebecca is quickly established in this scene, before everything changes when Rebecca's water breaks.
Jack undergoes a tremendous journey, struggling in particular with his own issues of alcoholism and repressed trauma. By the end of the finale, Jack has reunited with Rebecca in the afterlife, and there are no more perfect final words for his character than the three words that mean everything: "I love you."
Rebecca Pearson
First: You Promise You Like Your Gift?
Last: I Love You.
Rebecca is introduced right alongside Jack in the opening moments of the pilot. She seeks his reassurance by "promis[ing he] like[s his] gift," which consists of her dancing sexily for him with a birthday cupcake. And then she goes into labor.
Much of Rebecca's journey revolves around her role as a mom who holds her family together better than most. When she finally reunites with Jack in the afterlife, it is clear that their love, first glimpsed in the pilot's opening, hasn't changed a bit. And so Rebecca's final words, "I love you," are the final words of the entire series. Nothing else could ever have been as appropriate.